Interesting Posts and Articles #48

A terror attack in Yerushalayim, via bulldozer.

1. At KallahMagazine blog, on Ordering a Miracle or Just a Shidduch, on the broader phenomenon of the ritualization and segulah-ization of Judaism. As I noted in my earlier post on Megeirot, I would consider the ritual around cleaning drawers to fit into this more general trend, though there are other aspects of it as well.
2. Divrei Chaim posts on modern day witches. Just to be on the safe side, I will clarify that Chitulim was entirely my own creation, to argue about the ridiculousness of ritualizing the mundane. An excerpt:
   

   Spirituality needs to be rooted in an intellectual system to have value, otherwise we are simply acting like the magosh.

3. MomInIsrael begins translating a follow-up article on Megeirot in the magazine Makor Rishon. It looks like some progress is being made in determining the metzius of the situation. An excerpt:
   

   "According to what women said in the article, it appears to be sexual exploitation. If a man would have done what was described, we would have said long ago that this was sexual harassment. Because the women did not find a suitable framework for dealing with the issue, with authorities accepted by the public, they decided to turn to us. In the meantime we have only heard the voices of those who have left. It's important for us to hear the other side in order to hold a fair discussion and come to an investigation of the truth."

4. Emes ve-Emunah on The Enforcement Squad, or about protesting and vandalizing stores which sell MP4 players.
5. Chananya Weissman takes on Kupat haIr in the Jewish Star, the second part of a two-part article, about their new supplement Kos Yeshuos.